Snubbed! USA Today put Myrtle Beach on this 'best of SC' list but left out Hilton Head
The 10 best beaches in South Carolina, according to USA Today readers, have been announced, and none of them are in Beaufort County.
Not a single one.
Fans of Hilton Head Island are used to coming out on top in "best of" lists, like Southern Living's Best Beaches in the South or Travel and Leisure's Best Island in the United States (and second best in the world).
On this particular USA Today list, seven of the lauded beaches are located in the Myrtle Beach area, and the remaining three are in the Charleston area.
Taking the top spot was Cherry Grove Beach in North Myrtle Beach.
Commenters on a story about the honor from The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News weren't universally convinced it was justified.
"We stay there, but it's too crowded. Now I know why," posted one person about Myrtle Beach.
"For a while there, at high tide, there was hardly any beach. Guess it’s better now?" asked another.
Hilton Head Island did get a shout-out in the article's intro.
"From Myrtle Beach in the north to Hilton Head Island near the southern border with Georgia, the Palmetto State is a perfect destination for beach lovers," USA Today says.
The publication's readers were asked to vote for their favorite 10 beaches from a list of 20 nominees selected by "a panel of experts" and editors. Readers could vote once a day for a month.
The only expert listed by name on the results is Stephen Leatherman, a Florida professor also known as "Dr. Beach" who publishes his own list of best beaches in the United States each spring.
Here are the beaches selected for the top 10:
- Cherry Grove Beach, North Myrtle Beach
- Myrtle Beach
- Pawleys Island Beach
- Folly Beach, Charleston
- Garden City Beach, Myrtle Beach
- Kiawah Beachwalker Park
- Surfside Beach
- Litchfield Beach
- Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet
- Isle of Palms Beach
The No. 8 beach on the list, Litchfield Beach — located 30 minutes north of Myrtle Beach — is described as bringing "the feel of Hilton Head to South Carolina's Grand Strand."
It offers "a much quieter seaside experience," said USA Today.
This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Snubbed! USA Today put Myrtle Beach on this 'best of SC' list but left out Hilton Head."